better man // calum hood

two

"Solo cups. How fancy," said the brunette teasingly, grabbing a large stack from beside the sink where they sat. She then followed Mali, who nearly rolled her eyes to outer space, through the open sliding door onto the deck.

"Leilani!" Eliza Kemp, one of their mutual friends, yelled as soon as she stepped out into the cool night air again. The girls hugged, squeezing the life out of each other. "Oh, I'm so happy you're here! It's been too long!"

"Yeah, Lani doesn't like to interact with the world unless she has to," Mali commented before pointing to Lauren, Dominique, and a few others Leilani recognized from prior hangouts here. She waved hi to everyone, engaging in polite conversation until Mali insisted on continuing the introductions and reintroductions. They stepped off the desk, passing by the jacuzzi that warmed up by the minute, and walked toward the bonfire where several others sat.

"You remember Ben," Mali said, pointing to her best guy friend who sat in a flimsy red chair with his phone in hand.

"Yeah, of course. We bonded over tequila the last time we hung out!" Leilani giggled, stepping into his arms as he stood to hug her. "How's the music going?"

"Quite well, thank you!" He exclaimed, genuinely happy she asked. "How was that bottle I gave you last time?"

Leilani rubbed her stomach. "Excellent. It's so hard to find, though."

"You have to go to a certain website if you want the genuine kind. I can text you it if you'd like," Ben offered, already unlocking his phone.

"That'd be awesome, thanks!"

"Alright, alright, could you not hit it off with everyone for a sec?" Mali grumbled and tugged the brunette on to the next few. "This is Ashton Irwin and Luke Hemmings. They're in a band with my brother who's over there. I'll introduce you to him in a minute." She pointed to a figure standing with a couple other individuals off to one side of the bonfire, laughing together with beers in their hands.

Leilani smiled at them both, though her eyes darted back to Luke after a moment. "You look familiar. I think we've met before."

Luke arched an eyebrow at her, running a hand through his semi-lengthy locks. "Hm, yeah, I think so. You're the one who performed at that pub in London a couple of months ago, aren't you?"

Recognition dawned in her eyes. "Yes! That's it. We took shots together. I knew I'd seen you before." Leilani turned to Ashton, a man much shorter than Luke with hazel eyes and dirty blonde hair. "You, I haven't met. I'm Leilani but you can call me Lani or Lele or whatever you prefer. It's nice to meet you!" She then grinned at Luke, recalling their brief time together in London. "And you again." There wasn't much to remember from that night. She knew she saw a cute guy at the bar, and upon approaching him, found out he liked her singing. He offered to buy her a shot, and she accepted, the two of them downing the vodka in unison on the count of three. They made small talk for a while before Leilani checked the time and realized she needed to return to her hotel. And then...nothing. She hugged him goodbye, kissed his cheek, and left without taking the cute boy with her.

"What are the odds that you two have met before?" Mali commented with a soft giggle, gesturing between the pair. "Small world."

Leilani met Luke's clear blue eyes briefly. The reflection of the blazing fire shined in them. "Yeah, definitely."

"So, shall we continue?" The blonde inquired, holding out her elbow for Lani to grab. She took it, laughing.

"Sure. I'll see you guys around."

"Let us know if Mali bothers you too much. We'll distract her with champagne," Ashton called as he took a sip of his beer. Mali flipped him off behind her back, scowling. She directed Leilani over to the opposite side of the bonfire, a skip in her step despite the antagonization.

"Cal, why the hell are you guys all the way over here?" Mali wondered, coming to a stop in front of who Leilani assumed was her brother judging by the way he reacted to the name. He was attractive with a mess of dark curls atop his head and deep brown eyes that drifted from his sister to her quickly. His face resembled Mali's in many aspects, including the adorable, pudgy cheeks and the narrow jawline.

"The fire was too hot, and we ended up moving back," he responded, squeezing the solo cup between his fingers absentmindedly. "Michael had PTSD to that time on stage when his face nearly got burned off, and Mitchy had to take a piss anyway."

Mali scrunched up her nose. "You know there is a bathroom in my house."

A round-faced man with a plethora of tattoos and a beanie atop his head shrugged his shoulders. "It's quicker to go out here." Leilani presumed he was Mitchy.

"You guys are a pain in the ass," Mali muttered before placing her hand on the small of Leilani's back to push her forward a few steps. "Guys, this is Leilani Morales. Lele, this is my brother Calum, his other bandmate Michael Clifford, and their friend Mitchy Collins."

She took turns shaking their hands, or in Michael's case, hugging him, a bright smile on her face. "It's great to meet you guys!"

"You make music, right?" Mitchy wondered, pointing his finger at her. "I've seen you on Instagram, I believe."

"Yeah, it's a tedious process, but I enjoy it."

"Buy her album next month!" Mali exclaimed as she threw her arm around Leilani, hugging her tightly while the brunette giggled.

Michael frowned. "Hey, our album is coming out next month. You're not going to promote it as well?"

"We're not as cute or as appealing, mate," Calum pointed out, narrowing his eyes at his sister. "Although, I figured my own flesh and blood would give us the promo."

"Lani didn't spill cereal all over my kitchen floor this morning and then make me clean it up," Mali retorted with a scowl, recalling the memory.

Leilani cocked her head to the side. "May the best album get to the top?" She challenged, giggling softly so that they knew she wasn't entirely serious.

Calum smirked at her, his boyish good looks making her swoon. "Oh, it's on."

"Good luck boys. You're gonna need it," chirped Mali whilst grabbing Leilani's hand and tugging her away.

Leilani briefly glanced over her shoulder at Calum with a small smile, only to notice him staring right back at her. He raised his beer as a cheers before taking a sip, his eyes on her all the while. She quickly turned around, cheeks red.